Gaps | Jotup

Niger: with a key deadline passed, Nigeria must take decisive steps to prevent a civil war in its neighborhood

Retrieved on:

Monday, August 7, 2023

West Africa is now bracing to see how Ecowas, which has threatened to take all steps, including military intervention, will react.

Key Points:

West Africa is now bracing to see how Ecowas, which has threatened to take all steps, including military intervention, will react.
Niger’s coup bears serious consequences for regional peace, security, and stability in west Africa, especially as it affects Nigeria and the already troubled Sahel region.
The options now before Ecowas are to extend the deadline to give mediation and diplomatic efforts a chance, or to proceed with the threatened military intervention.

Jihadi insurgency threats

Elsewhere in southern Niger there is overspill from violence in northern Nigeria involving jihadist groups, including Boko Haram and its breakaway faction, the Islamic State in the West African Province (ISWAP).
To add to the instability, there are estimated to be as many 30,000 “bandits”, mainly operating in and around northern Nigeria.
While described as “terrorists” by the Nigerian government, these are generally driven by economic and criminal, enterprises.

All eyes on Nigeria’s response

The cost of previous Ecowas interventions, particularly in Liberia and Sierra Leone, has largely been borne by Nigeria.
That would have calamitous consequences for the region and major implications for global security.

How to build financial resilience: insurance and retirement savings are the most effective tools in South Africa – study

Retrieved on:

Monday, August 7, 2023

Financial resilience is the ability to withstand and recover from financial shocks, such as an unexpected expense in a time of crisis.

Key Points:

Financial resilience is the ability to withstand and recover from financial shocks, such as an unexpected expense in a time of crisis.
To understand the state of financial resilience, and the financial resources that build financial resilience, we studied a nationally representative sample of 4,880 South African households across nine provinces.
We have been researching financial planning in South Africa and are interested in the gender dynamics in household savings.
We also found that insurance and retirement savings were the most effective tools for increasing financial resilience.

Measuring resilience

We constructed an index to measure financial resilience.
It was made up of the availability of savings, insurance, credit and retirement savings.
Read more:
Retired women in South Africa carry a huge burden of poverty
Our research also sought to examine the demographic and socioeconomic factors that could explain the differences in the levels of financial resilience between households.

What we found

Surprisingly, we found that insurance is the greatest contributor to building household financial resilience, followed by retirement provisions, savings and credit.
However, we found that a gender gap in financial resilience exists, with men being more financially resilient than women.
We also found that the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics that are common between men and women also differentiate their resources levels in building financial resilience.
Households in rural or farming areas tend to be excluded from mainstream financial markets, which makes it difficult to build financial resilience.

How to improve resilience

Further, policies aimed at building reserves in savings and enhancing access to credit facilities among vulnerable households can improve levels of financial resilience and economic security.
Since we also established that retirement provisions are a driver of financial resilience, premature access to retirement savings should be discouraged.
In addition, racial and geographic location gaps in financial resilience are underpinned by gaps in access to financial services.
Having adequate and equitable access to financial products and services remains the cornerstone of financial resilience.

Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad watched Saddam's statue topple in 2003. His 'standout' war memoir de-centres the West

Retrieved on:

Sunday, August 6, 2023

Baghdad native and former architect Ghaith Abdul-Ahad traces his start as a journalist to the day Saddam Hussein’s statue was toppled in central Baghdad, on April 9 2003 – two weeks after US troops invaded the city.

Key Points:

Baghdad native and former architect Ghaith Abdul-Ahad traces his start as a journalist to the day Saddam Hussein’s statue was toppled in central Baghdad, on April 9 2003 – two weeks after US troops invaded the city.
Framed as a watershed moment, Western media coverage at the time “heavily implied” the statue was taken down by “a large crowd of cheering Iraqis”.
But expressions of gratitude for the American goal of “restoring democracy” were not unanimous.
‘Show the world American democracy.’
Read more:
Orientalism: Edward Said's groundbreaking book explained

Beyond ‘shock and awe’

In the two decades since the brutal invasion, its architects have held onto near-total impunity.
And in 2019, the UK government even sought to grant amnesty to troops who committed war crimes during their deployment.
Countless memoirs from US and UK veterans published over the past two decades betray persisting delusions of heroism.

Sweeping and dynamic

A Stranger in Your Own City is sweeping in scope.
It doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre, but reads at once like a travelogue, geo-biography, memoir and political history.
But this dynamic collection rarely meanders, nor does it lose the reader in its frequent shifts in focus.
Instead, its structure foregrounds what the book does best: unsettling the enduring myths about the origins of Iraq’s never-ending crisis.

Sectarian tensions heightened by occupation

Here, Abdul-Ahad challenges the widely held view that sectarian tensions were an entrenched and longstanding source of conflict in Iraq before 2003.
We learn instead that sectarianism was, in fact, catalysed by the US occupation – namely in the formation of the post-Saddam government.
Ultimately, these networks functioned as “personal fiefdoms” that distributed and privatised resources and services following sectarian quotas.
And, as Abdul-Ahad argues, the rearranging of Iraqi society across sectarian lines – both socially and geographically – fuelled the civil wars to come.

An extension of America’s war

Abdul-Ahad challenges the binary view of Iraqi societal tensions as split neatly between Sunni and Shia Muslims following the 2006 civil war.
He examines a “wide range of localised schisms and fault lines, feuds based on class or geography”.
Despite this ever-changing political climate, Abdul-Ahad contends, “as for the Iraqis, friend and foe alike, this was still an extension of America’s war, even if it was now only Iraqis who were butchering Iraqis”.
Read more:
Iraq war, 20 years on: how the world failed Iraq and created a less peaceful, democratic and prosperous state

Disaster capitalism in Iraq

Abdul-Ahad illustrates how the Gulf War and 13 years of crippling sanctions “brought [Iraq] to its knees”.
Disaster capitalists exploit and even manufacture political and economic crises so they can introduce vastly transformative neoliberal policies amid the chaos.
In this context, the invasion of Iraq was anything but a failure in the eyes of its architects.
Read more:
Why you can't explain the Iraq War without mentioning oil

A productive tension

As I write this review, I’m reminded the representational responsibilities of a book like this aren’t set in stone.
Abdul-Ahad very deliberately resists buying into a reductive narrative about what caused the war – and rightly so.
A productive tension emerges between Abdul-Ahad’s personal understanding of Iraqi society and politics and those of his interviewees, complicating the Western media’s monolithic rendering of Iraqis.
But this pressure risks depoliticising their experiences – and relegating their historical and political contexts to the narrative margins.

‘Deeply human’, but still political

But Abdul-Ahad mostly avoids this trap, without sacrificing either personal resonance or political subjectivity.
While the protests failed to inspire substantial political change, the reverberations of a “larger more common identity” were felt.
In the wake of the Tishreen Movement, Abdul-Ahad renders an image of ambivalent, angry steadfastness and hope.

Living in Nairobi's slums is tough – residents are 35% more likely to suffer from high blood pressure than those in rural areas

Retrieved on:

Sunday, August 6, 2023

High blood pressure is a manageable condition through regular monitoring, lifestyle changes and treatment.

Key Points:

High blood pressure is a manageable condition through regular monitoring, lifestyle changes and treatment.
However, untreated blood pressure, also known as uncontrolled hypertension, can lead to damage to organs such as the kidneys, heart and brain.
In Kenya, the 2014-2015 national survey on non-communicable diseases showed that high blood pressure contributed to a significant burden of disease.
A viable approach is to implement programmes with interventions capable of addressing the complex array of factors influencing hypertension care.

New Aussie musical Bloom misses an opportunity to interrogate the gaps in aged care – and in our social fabric

Retrieved on:

Thursday, August 3, 2023

As both Rose and Finn settle into their new accommodation, we meet the eclectic residents of the home and two dedicated care staff.

Key Points:

As both Rose and Finn settle into their new accommodation, we meet the eclectic residents of the home and two dedicated care staff.
Ruby (Vidya Makan) gave up her communications degree at uni for a job that allowed her to do something more meaningful.
Ruby asks herself in song if “maybe it’s time”, contemplating leaving Pine Grove and commencing a masters degree in aged care.
Resident Sal (Eddie Muliaumaseali’i) silently looks through old photos to connect with his past and the remnants of his past self.

Dismissing the rights of older Australians

The final report of a Royal Commission into Aged Care and Safety exposed the deep chasms in the sector.
It tabled 148 recommendations to parliament in 2021 and has led to significant legislative reform.
The suggestion by Mrs MacIntyre is that she is “having a little turn” during her complaints: a moment of insight into how easily we have dismissed the rights of older Australians to exercise choice and be heard on matters that impact them.

Stark realities and missed opportunities

In the scene, Finn reflects that Ruby seems very comfortable with death.
She responds that both her grandparents lived at her home and she was present when they died.
This scene at Rose’s bedside is a good representation of the missed opportunity in Bloom to starkly represent the realities of our aged care system and our dominant cultural approach to end-of-life care in this country.
Unfortunately, Bloom seems too afraid of its own subject material to truly tackle these issues and reflect their realities back to us.

The nuclear arms race's legacy at home: Toxic contamination, staggering cleanup costs and a culture of government secrecy

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, August 1, 2023

It initiated a global arms race that threatens the survival of humanity and the planet as we know it.

Key Points:

It initiated a global arms race that threatens the survival of humanity and the planet as we know it.
It also led to widespread public health and environmental damage from nuclear weapons production and testing.
As a researcher examining communication in science, technology, energy and environmental contexts, I’ve studied these legacies of nuclear weapons production.
Total cleanup costs are projected to reach up to US$640 billion, and the job won’t be completed for decades, if ever.

Victims of nuclear tests

Nuclear weapons production and testing have harmed public health and the environment in multiple ways.
So far, they have not been included in the federal program to compensate uranium miners and “downwinders” who developed radiation-linked illnesses after exposure to later atmospheric nuclear tests.
The largest above-ground U.S. tests, along with tests conducted underwater, took place in the Pacific islands.
Estimating how many people have suffered health effects from these tests is notoriously difficult.

Polluted soil and water

Starting in 1944, workers at the remote site in eastern Washington state irradiated uranium fuel in reactors and then dissolved it in acid to extract its plutonium content.
Hanford’s nine reactors, located along the Columbia River to provide a source of cooling water, discharged water contaminated with radioactive and hazardous chemicals into the river through 1987, when the last operating reactor was shut down.
Extracting plutonium from the irradiated fuel, an activity called reprocessing, generated 56 million gallons of liquid waste laced with radioactive and chemical poisons.
The wastes were stored in underground tanks designed to last 25 years, based on an assumption that a disposal solution would be developed later.

A culture of secrecy

As the movie “Oppenheimer” shows, government secrecy has shrouded nuclear weapons activities from their inception.
But as I’ve argued previously, the principle of secrecy quickly expanded more broadly.
Initially, strict secrecy – reinforced by the region’s economic dependence on the Hanford site – made it hard for concerned citizens to get information.

Cautionary legacies

As Nolan’s film recounts, J. Robert Oppenheimer and many other Manhattan Project scientists had deep concerns about how their work might create unprecedented dangers.
Looking at the legacies of the Trinity test, I wonder whether any of them imagined the scale and scope of those outcomes.

Pesticides are harming Nigeria: it’s time to update the law

Retrieved on:

Thursday, July 27, 2023

This is because of their potential health effects or environmental contamination, or because there’s not enough data to be sure that they aren’t harmful.

Key Points:

This is because of their potential health effects or environmental contamination, or because there’s not enough data to be sure that they aren’t harmful.
Nigeria’s use of such pesticides is the reason some markets, including the EU and the US, reject the country’s agricultural products.
Yet some countries with strict regulations at home still export the banned pesticides to countries like Nigeria.

Limiting factors

There are no provisions to hold manufacturers accountable for the negative impact of hazardous pesticides.
No law requires people to use personal protective equipment when applying pesticides.
For instance, the proposed bill to establish a pesticides council reserves two seats for an internationally affiliated association, CropLife Nigeria.
Instead, the council should consist of neutral and independent organisations from the scientific and academic communities.

Why effective regulation matters

Seventy-five percent of the women farmers in the survey reported symptoms from using pesticides.
Without strict regulation and enforcement, farmers might misuse or overuse pesticides in farms and storerooms.
Weak regulations also make Nigeria vulnerable to becoming a dumping ground for internationally banned and counterfeit pesticides.

What needs to be done

They have passed laws that prohibit pesticides that are banned in the countries that make or export them.
The legal community should engage in public interest litigation to hold manufacturing companies accountable for harm caused by pesticides.
Ofoegbu Donald Ikenna, senior programme manager, Sustainable Nigeria programme, Heinrich Boell Stiftung (hbs) Nigeria office, contributed to this article.

Sinéad O'Connor: a troubled soul with immense talent and unbowed spirit

Retrieved on:

Thursday, July 27, 2023

But she was never in any danger of being relegated to being a one-hit wonder.

Key Points:

But she was never in any danger of being relegated to being a one-hit wonder.
O’Connor’s life and career were characterised by irregularity and a sense of being at odds with her surroundings.
Adversity infused her music with a punk spirit, an oppositional attitude that was writ large throughout the rest of her career.

A distinctive template as a singer-songwriter

A gold record in the UK, US, Canada and the Netherlands – featuring the Top 40 single Mandinka – it marked out her image and distinctive voice, clear and pure, but never demure.
Her trademark cropped hair and forthright bearing set her apart from prevailing female singer-songwriters.
Shunning both overtly sexualised imagery and quirky hippie-chick vibes, O’Connor’s aesthetic was blunt and raw, although the clarity of her voice gave it commercial traction.
Propelled by a stark video in unflinching close-up, tears running down her face, it made her an international star.

Unbowed and iconic

Even if her career never quite acquired equilibrium, O’Connor the artist remained unbowed and exploratory.
Her later releases were stronger on critical acclaim than commercial clout, and her well-publicised mental health difficulties led to hiatuses in her music.
Ultimately despite her difficulties, or even because of them, she exemplified what it was to be an icon.

Grenfell: in the words of survivors – new play is an angry demand for accountability

Retrieved on:

Wednesday, July 26, 2023

Often focused on communities that are marginalised or excluded, verbatim theatre emerged in the 1970s.

Key Points:

Often focused on communities that are marginalised or excluded, verbatim theatre emerged in the 1970s.
It uses the words of real people as the basis for theatrical performance.
Grenfell expertly combines verbatim performances drawn from first-hand accounts with a film made by the survivors in their ongoing campaign for justice.
Also threaded through the play are staged excerpts from the transcripts of the Grenfell Tower Enquiry (2017-22).

The challenges facing verbatim theatre

Creating theatre from the words of “ordinary people” can run the risk of speaking for the marginalised people theatre makers aspire to “give voice” to.
Done without sufficient care, verbatim might appropriate their stories, or paint those it apparently “speaks for” only as victims.
Verbatim theatre may lack nuance in its depictions, suspending its subjects in a traumatic moment, or a position of grievance or helplessness.

Never Forget

The survivors’ remembrances culminate in a sensitive yet truly harrowing account of the catastrophic fire.
Movable archive boxes marked with the number of each flat, act as building blocks of various locations in the minimalist set and also contain the sombre relics of the fire.
A vacated seating bank, illuminated from above, honours those that were lost.
Our own work on The Verbatim Formula research uses elements of verbatim with communities of young people who have experienced social care.

How Canada's first national cycling map will benefit both riders and public planners

Retrieved on:

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

Gaps, OpenStreetMap, Google Street View, Classification, City, Built environment, Woman, Terminology, Vehicle registration plates of Nepal, Data, Map, Algorithm, OSM, Transport, Bias, Safety, Civil engineering, Road, Asset management

Yet, there has historically been no consistent and complete way to measure or communicate cycling infrastructure.

Key Points:

Yet, there has historically been no consistent and complete way to measure or communicate cycling infrastructure.
In 2019, we developed the Canadian Bikeway Comfort and Safety Classification system (Can-BICS) to classify cycling infrastructure by comfort and safety.
The Can-BICS project not only provides a useful tool for Canadian cyclists, it also provides a clear window into the current state of Canadian cycling infrastructure.

How we built a national dataset

As researchers specializing in the links between the built environment and cycling, we often found ourselves piecing together datasets from different Canadian cities.
Another issue was that complete and up-to-date data are not even available for all municipalities in Canada.
A national map needs to indicate different types of facilities, as not everyone is willing to cycle alongside motor vehicles.
The result is the first-ever national dataset of cycling infrastructure in Canada.

Cycling infrastructure mapped across Canada

With the national dataset in place, we identified nearly 23,000 km of cycling infrastructure meeting Can-BICS standards across Canada.
We found that in Canada, multi-use paths are the most common infrastructure type by length (16.6 per cent of all cycling infrastructure detected), followed by painted bike lanes (11 per cent).
High-comfort infrastructure (cycle tracks, bike-only paths and local street bikeways) made up only 4.3 per cent of all detected cycling infrastructure.

Harnessing data

The national cycling infrastructure dataset can support local, regional and federal governments in deciding where to invest in cycling infrastructure.
Better biking infrastructure, designed by women
The dataset is open for use by other researchers and planning practitioners interested in relating cycling infrastructure to other nationally available metrics such as census data.
International researchers may be interested in our methodology to develop datasets of cycling infrastructure in their own jurisdictions.